LTE: Japan: NTT DOCOMO to offer the Apple`s iPad Air and mini in June 10

Francisco De Jesùs.

NTT DOCOMO and Apple today announced that iPad Air and iPad mini tablets with Retina display will be available on the DOCOMO network beginning on Tuesday, June 10.

“We are extremely happy for iPad to join iPhone on NTT DOCOMO’s network,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “The results on iPhone have been tremendous, and we look forward to delivering iPad to NTT DOCOMO customers.”

Press Release:

NTT DOCOMO & Apple to Offer iPad in Japan Starting on Tuesday, June 10

TOKYO and CUPERTINO, California—May 28, 2014—NTT DOCOMO and Apple® today announced that iPad Air™ and iPad mini™ with Retina® display will be available on the DOCOMO network beginning on Tuesday, June 10. iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display offer the power and capability of the A7 chip, advanced graphics on a Retina display, and high-speed LTE performance,¹ making everything you do faster and better, all while delivering all-day battery life.²

“With the addition of iPad alongside iPhone, we now offer the complete lineup of Japan’s most popular mobile devices on the nation’s most reliable LTE network,” said Kaoru Kato, President and CEO of NTT DOCOMO, INC. “We know our customers will enjoy using iPad Air and iPad mini, and anticipate that new customers will look to experience these amazing devices on our high-quality network with our new billing plan.”

“We are extremely happy for iPad to join iPhone on NTT DOCOMO’s network,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “The results on iPhone have been tremendous, and we look forward to delivering iPad to NTT DOCOMO customers.”

iPad Air features a stunning 9.7-inch Retina display in a thin and light design. Precision-engineered to weigh just one pound with a narrow bezel, the borders of iPad Air make content even more immersive. iPad mini with Retina display brings all the pixels from the 9.7-inch iPad to its 7.9-inch screen, delivering razor sharp text and detail in a design that offers 35 percent more screen real estate than 7-inch tablets. iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display feature the powerful and power-efficient Apple-designed A7 chip with 64-bit desktop-class architecture, ultrafast wireless with built-in Wi-Fi and expanded LTE cellular connectivity, an incredible 10 hours of battery life, and iOS 7 featuring hundreds of great features and access to over 500,000 apps designed specifically for iPad®.

DOCOMO’s iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display users will be able to enjoy the company’s nationwide ultra-fast Xi™ LTE communications service³ with the new billing plan which enables data quota sharing among family members and corporate users. 

Beginning June 2, customers can pre-register for iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display at DOCOMO dealers and DOCOMO’s website.

For details on sales prices and special campaigns, please visit www.nttdocomo.co.jp/english/ipad/charge/index.html#model. 

For details on the new billing plan, please visit www.nttdocomo.co.jp/english/charge.

For more information on iPad, please visit www.apple.com/ipad.

¹ LTE is available through select carriers. Network speeds are dependent on carrier networks, check with your carrier for details.

² Battery life depends on device settings, usage and other factors. Actual results vary.

³ Xi is only available to subscribers in Japan. Xi is a trademark of NTT DOCOMO, INC. in Japan and/or other countries.

NTT DOCOMO provides innovative, convenient and secure mobile services that enable smarter living for each customer. The company serves over 63 million mobile customers in Japan via advanced wireless networks, including a nationwide 3G network and one of the world’s first commercial LTE networks. Leveraging its unique capabilities as a mobile operator, DOCOMO is a leading developer of cutting-edge technologies for NFC mobile payments, mobile GPS, mobile TV, intuitive mobile assistance, environmental monitoring, smart grids and much more. Overseas, the company provides technical and operational expertise to eight mobile operators and other partner companies. NTT DOCOMO is listed on the Tokyo (9437) and New York (DCM) stock exchanges. Please visit www.nttdocomo.co.jp/english for more information.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.

Press Contacts: 

Trudy Muller

Apple

tmuller@apple.com

+1 (408) 862-7426

Takuya Ori

NTT DOCOMO

ori@nttdocomo.co.jp

+81 3 5156 1366

Japan: NTT DOCOMO testing 5G technologies.

Japanese mobile giant NTT Docomo plans to conduct experimental trials of new high-bandwidth network technologies that could deliver up to 10 Gbps over a wireless link and connect millions of new devices to the mobile network. The hope is these new radio technologies could become part of the emerging 5G standard.

Docomo is working with network vendors Ericsson, Nokia, Alcatel-Lucent, Samsung, NEC and Fujitsu to conduct lab trials at the carrier’s R&D center in Yokosuka, followed by outdoor trials network year.

NTT Docomo is exploring a part of the electromagnetic band that has been previously deemed useless for mobile use: the vast swaths of wireless spectrum above 6 GHz. 

By bringing together huge numbers of frequencies and using big antenna arrays to carriers could introduce reams of new capacity into their networks, but there’s also a question of whether they can use that capacity in truly mobile networks or just transmit it only to devices that stay put. Hopefully trials like NTT Docomo’s will help answer those questions.

To its credit, NTT Docomo was very careful to say these trials were just experiments to test the technology’s potential ahead of 5G’s formal standardization process. It plans to submit its findings to the mobile industry researchers starting in 2016. Docomo’s vendors aren’t being so careful, though. According to Ericsson, it’s just deploying a 5G network for the Japanese carrier.

The 5G term referred to this technology is a temporary reference, until what these experiments finally will bring out. At this time it is just a mere equation of speed.

Buy the Samsung Galaxy S5 UNLOCKED AMAZON GOLD BLUE WHITE BLACK:

M2M World Alliance Delivers First Multi-Operator Global Solution.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

Alliance, which is comprised of  Etisalat, KPN, NTT DOCOMO, Rogers, SingTel, Telefónica, Telstra and VimpelCom, today officially unveiled its solution which aims to simplify and promote the adoption of machine-to-machine (M2M) communications worldwide.

The unique solution will leverage the operators’ combined global presence to the benefit of customers who are looking for a regional or global M2M deployment. It allows companies to enjoy connectivity throughout the Alliance coverage area with in-market rates. Additional benefits include easier compliance with local market regulations and the potential for multinationals to provide global technical support from a single market.

The name “M2M World Alliance” has recently been created to identify the group’s coordinated operations.  Its multi-coloured logo represents the Alliance’s aspiration to coordinate the delivery of M2M services globally.

“We believe that our unique and seamless solution will drive rapid growth in the adoption of M2M communications worldwide by giving our customers the ability to operate connected devices globally at a reduced cost,” said Ángel David García Barrio, Chairman of the M2M World Alliance. “With operations in more than 60 countries, the Alliance’s global footprint presents multinational organizations with a seamless approach to deploying connected devices in multiple countries at one time.”

M2M communications are used when machines – a broad term for equipment used in all sorts of industries, including consumer electronics, utilities, agriculture and construction – connect and exchange information with information technology infrastructure. It is considered by many as the latest stage in the internet’s evolution: when cyberspace reaches beyond the traditional confines of computers to connect to any device with a microprocessor.

Major growth areas identified by the M2M World Alliance for its global solution include connected cars, fleet management, smart meters, consumer electronics, game consoles, wearable electronics, telehealth and security solutions.

“The solution, articulated through the Alliance members, will offer the best services support, more optimized processes and a more contrasted experience. We are totally convinced, this innovative solution, will raise the interest of a considerable number of customers through a plethora of sectors.” Said Carlos Morales, Telefónica Global M2M Managing Director.

Global M2M connections will grow from approximately two billion today to reach 18 billion in 2022, according to a study by Machina Research, a London-based consulting firm focused on emerging opportunities with new forms of connected device.

Details of the Alliance’s products and coverage areas can be found on its new website, www.m2mworldalliance.com.

About Etisalat

Strong commitment to excellence and innovation has seen Etisalat become one of the world’s fastest-growing telecom groups, rapidly expanding across Asia and Africa. Its UAE operations, strategically located at the crossroads of East and West, enables Etisalat to be the major hub in the Middle East for Internet, voice, broadcast, roaming and corporate data services. Etisalat has been recognised as ‘Best Operator’ 10 times since 2006 and ‘Best Wholesale Provider’ four times in the last three years. Servicing 144 million customers in 15 countries Etisalat continues to reach out to new customers and markets. For more information, www.etisalat.com.

 

About KPN

KPN is the leading telecommunications and ICT service provider in the Netherlands, offering wireline and wireless telephony, internet and TV to consumers and end-to-end telecom and ICT services to business customers. In Germany and Belgium, KPN pursues a Challenger strategy in its wireless operations and holds number three market positions through E-Plus and BASE. KPN provides wholesale network services to third parties and operates an efficient IP-based infrastructure with global scale in international wholesale through iBasis. For M2M we offer PAN European solutions. At December 31st, 2011, KPN served over 44.5 million customers, of which 36.6 million were in wireless services, 4 million in wireline voice, 2.5 million in broadband Internet and 1.4 million in TV. With 18,687 FTEs in the Netherlands (31,084 FTEs for the whole group), KPN reported full-year revenues of EUR 13.1bn and an EBITDA of EUR 5.1bn in 2011. KPN was incorporated in 1989 and is listed on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange.

 

About NTT DOCOMO

NTT DOCOMO is a world-leading integrated-services company centred on mobility. The company serves over 60 million mobile customers in Japan via advanced wireless networks, including a nationwide 3G network and one of the world’s first commercial LTE networks. Leveraging its unique capabilities as a mobile operator, DOCOMO is a leading developer of cutting-edge technologies for NFC mobile payments, mobile GPS, mobile TV, intuitive mobile assistance, environmental monitoring, smart grids and much more. Overseas, the company provides technical and operational expertise to eight mobile operators and other partner companies. NTT DOCOMO is listed on the Tokyo (9437), London (NDCM) and New York (DCM) stock exchanges. Please visit www.nttdocomo.com for more information.

 

About Rogers

Rogers Communications is a diversified Canadian communications and media company. We are Canada's largest provider of wireless voice and data communications services and one of Canada's leading providers of cable television, high-speed Internet and telephony services. Through Rogers Media we are engaged in radio and television broadcasting, televised shopping, magazines and trade publications, sports entertainment, and digital media. We are publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RCI.A and RCI.B) and on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: RCI).

 

About SingTel

SingTel is Asia's leading communications group providing a portfolio of services including voice and data solutions over fixed, wireless and Internet platforms as well as infocomm technology and pay TV. The Group has presence in Asia, Australia (through wholly-owned subsidiary SingTel Optus) and Africa with 486 million mobile customers in 25 countries, including Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand. It also has a vast network of offices throughout Asia Pacific, Europe and the United States. More information can be found at www.singtel.com and www.optus.com.au.

 

About Telefónica Digital

Telefónica Digital is a global business division of Telefónica. Its mission is to seize the opportunities within the digital world and deliver new growth for Telefónica through research & development, venture capital, global partnerships and digital services such as cloud computing, mobile advertising, M2M and eHealth. It is also driving innovation in over the top communications under a new umbrella brand called TU and in Big Data through Telefónica Dynamic Insights. Telefónica Digital will deliver these new products and services to Telefónica's 320 million customers as well as entering new markets. It is headquartered in London with regional centres in Silicon Valley, Sao Paulo, Spain and Tel Aviv. Axismed, Eleven Paths, giffgaff, Jajah, Media Networks Latin America and Terra are all managed under the Telefónica Digital umbrella.

To sign up for news alerts and read commentary on Telefónica Digital, visit www.telefonica.com/digitalhub and track them on Twitter @tefdigital

For more information about m2m business, visit m2m.telefonica.com or follow on Twitter at @m2mtelefonica.

 

About Telstra

Telstra is Australia’s leading telecommunications and information services company, with one of the best known brands in the country. Telstra offers a full range of services and competes in all telecommunications markets throughout the country. Telstra has Australia’s largest fully integrated IP network and Australia’s largest mobile broadband network, The Telstra Mobile Network offers 4G in all capital CBDs and associated airports, many surrounding suburban areas and in over 100 regional areas. You’ll automatically switch to our fastest available 3G in other coverage areas around Australia. Check coverage at telstra.com/coverage. Telstra also has an international presence spanning 15 countries, including China.

 

 

About VimpelCom

VimpelCom is one of the world’s largest integrated telecommunications services operators providing voice and data services through a range of traditional and broadband mobile and fixed technologies in Russia, Italy, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Armenia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Algeria, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Burundi, Zimbabwe, Central African Republic  and Canada. VimpelCom’s operations around the globe cover territory with a total population of approximately 753 million people. VimpelCom provides services under the "Beeline", "Kyivstar", "djuice", “WIND”, "Infostrada" “Mobilink”, “Leo”, “banglalink”, “Telecel”, and “Djezzy” brands. As of September 30, 2013 VimpelCom had 219 million mobile subscribers on a combined basis. VimpelCom is traded on the NASDAQ Global Stock Market under the symbol (VIP). For more information visit: http://www.vimpelcom.com

Japan: NTT Docomo to announce the SONY Xperia Z1 Mini (f) in October 10.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs. 

NTT Docomo Japan carrier is going to announce the SONY Xperia Z1 Mini (f) in October  10. The specifications of the device are:

Xperia Z1 f SO-02F

• Snapdragon 800 MSM8974 2.2Ghz Quad-Core
• 4.3 inches HD (1280x720) TRILUMINOS
• 2GB of RAM
• Storage capacity of 32GB
• IP58 waterproof and dustproof
• 127x64.9x9.4mm
• Android 4.2.2 JellyBean

The color variations are four colors of black, white, pink, lime. Received for women also seems to be good at coloring vivid.

Not clear if it will come with the same 20.7 mpxls camera as the Xperia Z1 big brother.

rbmen

Japan: Fujitsu launches the ARROWS Tab F-05E 10.1-inch tablet with NTT Docomo.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.       

Japan: Fujitsu launches the ARROWS Tab F-05E 10.1-inch tablet with NTT Docomo.

Fujitsu has announced the immediate availability of its new ARROWS Tab F-05E 10.1-inch tablet. Unfortunately for most of us, the slim, water- and dust-resistant, better-than-HD resolution Android 4.0 mobile computing unit is being released through NTT Docomo in Japan only.

Similar in many ways to the company's Stylistic M532, which was released in the U.S. in October, the ARROWS Tab F-05E also benefits from 32 GB of onboard storage with a microSD card for expansion, an HDMI interface for connection to a big screen TV, 802.11b/g/n wireless LAN, and built-in stereo speakers. It's powered by an NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor, too, but runs at 1.7 GHz and has a fifth low-power core that can kick in when running less demanding apps. 

The 9.9 mm thick F-05E features a 10.1-inch, 1920 x 1200 resolution display panel, is the first Japanese tablet to be supplied with Dolby Digital Plus audio technology, and has been treated to a whopping 10,080 mAh battery that's compatible with high speed chargers. It's also been sealed against water and dust penetration to IPX5/8 standards.

The ICS tablet comes with a new switch-enabled smart fingerprint sensor for security-conscious enterprise users, and a Family Mode feature which allows users to switch to a home screen configuration that best suits individual needs and abilities.

There's also an enhanced version of Fujitsu's Human-Centric Engine that's capable of tailoring the tablet experience to the age of the user. It can customize the screen's color balance, for instance, to compensate for a decline in color sensitivity that comes with advancing years. Additionally, Clear Touch technology is reported to make touch-based operations a little more obvious.

Completing the tech specs checklist are 2 GB of RAM, Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, support for Docomo LTE Xi high speed connectivity, the ability to wirelessly connect to DLNA-compliant devices, and an 8.1-megapixel rear-facing camera with an Exmor RS for mobile CMOS image sensor.

NTT Docomo

NTT DOCOMO has developed a dual-mode small-cell base station,supporting both 3G and LTE.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

NTT DOCOMO has developed a dual-mode small-cell base station,supporting both 3G and LTE.

NTT DOCOMO has developed a dual-mode small-cell base station, or femtocell, supporting 3G (W-CDMA) and LTE simultaneously. The dual-mode femtocell will be commercially launched from December and offers for improved service coverage in indoor locations such as offices, shops and homes.

According to company its new femtocell, which weighs only 0.7 kg and measures just 18.5cm by 17.5 cm by 4.5 cm (H x W x T), provides 3G/LTE service coverage in a range of up to several tens of meters, depending on actual conditions. 

Its plug-and-play function automatically configures itself to the surrounding radio environment, enabling users to quickly enjoy wider, higher-quality and more cost-effective coverage simply by connecting the femtocell to a broadband fixed line.

DOCOMO has been marketing 3G femtocells for improved indoor coverage since 2007. With the new dual-mode 3G/LTE femtocell, DOCOMO looks forward to providing enhanced indoor environments for voice and data mobile communication via its FOMA™ 3G and Xi™ LTE services.

Japan: NTT Docomo launched automatic free voice translation service.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

Japan: NTT Docomo launched automatic free voice translation service.

Japanese mobile operator NTT Docomo has launched an automatic translation service for voice calls. The LTE/3G-compatible service provides rapid translation between Japanese and Chinese, English and Korean.

The translation is processed by the network, not through the handset or an application, and then the translation provided through voice synthesis.

The service can be used two ways: phone-to-phone or face-to-face. From late November, face‐to‐face interpretation will be available between Japanese and ten other languages. To use the service, the caller needs the free Android app and the service is also provided for free but voice and data charges apply.

Video: NTT Docomo Hands-Free Videophone for futuristic glasses-type HMD devices.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

Video: NTT Docomo  Hands-Free Videophone for futuristic glasses-type HMD devices.

NTT Docomo has developed the Hands-Free Videophone, which enables video calls without having to hold the camera. This is part of docomo's research on creating future glasses-type devices.

The Hands-Free Videophone captures the user's face with three cameras in each of the left and right sides of the frames. The video sent to the other person is created by combining the pictures with a pre-rendered 3D model of the users face.

"Each camera has 720p resolution, and a fish-eye lens, with a 180-degree field of view. This is the High Definition picture currently being captured in real time. If you look at the face, you can see it's really distorted, because the fish-eye lens is so close. The distortion is compensated, and the picture is combined with a 3D model of the person in the computer. Currently, priority is given to the part around the eyes. As you can see when the man closes his eyes, the eyelids and the corners of the eyes appear quite realistic. Such a level of realism is hard to achieve with models like CG-based avatars, where parts are overlaid on the face."

Currently, the resolution isn't high enough to handle the mouth and upper body parts of the picture, so those are based on CG. The orientation of the face is based on six-axis sensor data, and the motion of the mouth is based on audio data from the microphone. 

There's also a camera on the back of the device, so more realistic video calls can be achieved by combining the person's image with the actual background.

"So, in the picture the other person receives, it looks as if there's a virtual camera taking pictures from in front of this person's face. In the current prototype, we haven't yet built in a HMD. But we'd like to do that in the future, to make it feel as if the picture of the other person is floating before your eyes. We think it could be possible to make it seem as if you're having a face-to-face dialog anywhere, even in an empty outdoor space."

If the camera resolution is increased dramatically, to 4K or 8K, it'll be possible to increase the amount of actual video used. Ultimately, the aim is for most of the face to be recreated from actual video.

Japan: NTT DoCoMo unveiled a revolutionary transparent double-sided touchscreen smartphone.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

The video is in Japanese, however is showing a user touching both sides of the prototype device’s display to manipulate a Rubik's Cube in three dimensions. 

DigInfotv has made a video demonstration part in English part in Japanese.

Japan:  NTT DoCoMo unveiled a revolutionary transparent double-sided touchscreen smartphone.

Japanese cellular network company NTT DoCoMo has unveiled an Android smartphone with a revolutionary feature: a transparent, double-sided touchscreen.

The prototype device was unveiled at the 17th edition of Wireless Japan, a Conference and Trade Show dedicated to wireless and mobile technologies in Japan.  

The device was jointly developed by DoCoMo and Fujitsu and features a 2.4” QVGA (320 x 240) transparent display that is sensitive to touch on both sides of the screen.

Masashi Tagaya, an employee at NTT DoCoMo’s R&D Advanced Technology Group, Communication Device Development, explained to English-language Japanese technology news site DigInfo TV, “For example, from the front, you can only move the whole Rubik cube like this, but if you slide your finger across the front while holding down the back, you can rotate just one face. So this display makes gripping operations possible"

LTE: Japan: NTT Docomo to launch the White Samsung Galaxy Note LTE in April 6.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesús.

LTE: Japan: NTT Docomo to launch the White Samsung Galaxy Note LTE in April 6.

Although there are no details regarding the smartphone’s pricing options, the carrier confirms Galaxy Note SC-05D will be available at all NTT Docomo dealers starting April 6.

Aside from the huge 5.3-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen display that supports HD (800 x 1280 pixels) resolution, NTT Docomo’s Galaxy Note offers users LTE (Xi) support, allowing for download speeds up to 75Mbps.

Docomo NEXT series GALAXY Note SC-05D device is powered by a 1.5 GHz dual-core APQ8060 processor and packs 16GB of internal memory, 1GB of RAM and microSD card slot for memory expansion (up to 32GB, 2GB memory card included).

The phone is equipped with the same 2500 mAh Li-Ion battery, which is rated by the carrier for up to 310 hours of standby time (350 hours in 3G mode) or up to 9 hours of talk time (7 hours in 3G mode).

Obviously, the smartphone boasts the usual S Pen stylus that goes along with “S Notes” application, which enables handwriting input and illustration paste-clipping of a photo.

On the back, the device boasts an impressive 8-megapixel rear camera with autofocus, LED flash and full HD (1080p) video recording, while in the front there’s a secondary 1.3-megapixel camera for video calls.

NTT Docomo customers will be able to get the Samsung Galaxy Note SC-05D only in ceramic white. 

However, the carrier might add another color scheme for the Galaxy Note SC-05D later this year.

LTE products:NTT Docomo,Fujitsu,Fujitsu Semiconductor,NEC,Panasonic and Samsung in joint venture.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesús.

NTT DOCOMO has reached a basic agreement with five companies to establish a fabless joint venture company by the end of March 2012 to develop and sell semiconductor products for mobile devices. The joint venture company will focus on developing products for LTE and LTE-Advanced mobile communication standards.

Companies in joint venture are Fujitsu Ltd., Fujitsu Semiconductor Ltd., NEC Corporation, Panasonic Mobile Communications Co., Ltd. and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. 

The joint venture company, leveraging the six investing companies’ strong backgrounds in cellular communication technology and vast experience in application specific integrated circuits (ASIC) design and foundry manufacturing, will develop feature-rich, small-size, low-power-consumption semiconductor products equipped with modem functionality. The products will be sold in markets globally.

The envisioned joint venture company will be formed once all parties agree on the details, which are now being worked out through consultation. Following the basic agreement, and as part of preparing to form the joint venture company, DOCOMO plans to invest 450 million Japanese yen, or about 5.8 million USD, to establish a wholly owned subsidiary, called Communication Platform Planning Co., Ltd. and headed by CEO Mitsunobu Komori, concurrently an executive vice president and Chief Technical Officer of DOCOMO, by the middle of January.

NTT Docomo and Orange to source an Android smartphone from Sharp

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesús.

NTT Docomo said that it will work with Orange to source an Android smartphone from vendor Sharp, “marking the first time for an overseas operator to deploy a Docomo smartphone.” 

The Japanese operator said that the device, sold as Aquos Phone SH-12C in Japan, has been redesigned for the European market, and renamed Aquos Phone SH80F. It has been described as Orange’s “first mobile device capable of converting images and videos from 2D to 3D in real time.”

NTT Docomo to offer extended Twitter functionality; increases Philippine investment

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesús.

Japanese mobile market-leader NTT Docomo announced this morning it has reached an agreement with Twitter to deeply embed the social networking service into its feature phones and smartphones.

 One of the envisioned services will see real-time ‘Tweets’ and other Twitter content added to the search results on the Docomo ‘i-mode’ portal for feature phones and the ‘docomo market’ portal for smartphones. 

The operator also plans to update an existing ‘touch and follow’ application, which will allow Docomo customers with Twitter accounts to begin following each other by simply touching NFC-enabled devices together. Docomo expects to launch the Twitter service for feature phones this summer and for smartphones later this year or early next year.

Docomo announced separately today that it has signed an option agreement with JG Summit Holdings to acquire a further 2 percent of shares in the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), the country’s largest operator. 


The shares are valued at around US$263 million and the purchase is aimed at maintaining the Japanese firm's cumulative stake at about 20 percent following PLDT’s planned acquisition of a majority stake in Digital Telecommunications Philippines. Docomo, which has been an investor in PLDT since March 2006, said it aims to “further strengthen its operational ties with PLDT and [PLDT’s] wholly-owned mobile subsidiary Smart Communications” moving forward.

Docomo inks DeNA alliance

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesús.

NTT Docomo partnered with mobile social gaming company DeNA, intended to “tap into the rapid growth of social mobile gaming worldwide.”

 From May 2011, DeNA’s Mobage gaming platform will be linked with Docomo’s i-mode and smartphone portals, with a dedicated Mobage app to be pre-installed on “selected” smartphones in the foreseeable future.

CTIA 2011: Aeroflex Supports NTT DOCOMO's Successful Launch of Xi™ LTE Network

WorldWideTech & Science. Francisco De Jesús.

Aeroflex Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Aeroflex Holding Corp. announced today that it has worked closely with NTT DOCOMO, INC. to support the successful testing, rollout, and launch of their Xi LTE 

network.

Aeroflex provided a suite of test tools to support the development for one of the first LTE networks in the world. The DOCOMO Xi LTE network went live in Japan during December 2010. As a result of testing prior to the launch, Aeroflex and DOCOMO have successfully proven many key LTE features including 2x2 MIMO operation, mobility, and Cat 4 (150Mbps) data rates.

"Aeroflex began providing LTE test solutions to DOCOMO in 2007," said Bob Vogel, president, Aeroflex Test Solutions. "We are proud to work with a leading edge cellular network operator with a long tradition of market leadership to help deploy a major new LTE network."

About Aeroflex LTE Expertise
Aeroflex started delivery of LTE test systems in 2007, and now offers a complete range of end-to-end test systems that cover R&D, performance, and manufacturing test applications for LTE TDD and FDD network equipment and terminals.

The TM500 Test Mobile family is in use with almost every base station manufacturer across the world, and can be regarded as the de facto standard for eNodeB development and testing. EAST500 is the only network capacity test solution that incorporates the proven Aeroflex TM500 LTE air interface.

The Aeroflex 7100 LTE Digital Radio Test Set is a complete one-box test system providing all the tools required for the measurement and characterization of user equipment (UE) chip sets and mobile terminals to 3GPP LTE standards, including optional signal fading simulation.

Aeroflex has engineers working in centers around the world on its LTE and LTE-Advanced test systems, to support the current and next generation of networks and devices.

About Aeroflex
Aeroflex Incorporated is a leading global provider of microelectronic components and test and measurement equipment used by companies in the space, avionics, defense, commercial wireless communications, medical and other markets.


Xi is a trademark or a registered trademark of NTT DOCOMO, INC. in Japan and/or other countries.

Japan:Docomo to unlock new devices

WorldWideTech & Science. Francisco De Jesús.

Docomo to unlock new devicesJapanese operator NTT Docomo said that “customers may request to have the SIM lock capability removed in principle from any Docomo wireless device newly marketed on or after 1 April 2011.”


 The company also said it will begin sales of SIM cards separately from devices, from customers either wanting to use a handset from elsewhere or with multiple Docomo accounts.

Japan: DOCOMO Medias - The Worlds 3G Thinnest and Lightest Smartphone

WorldWideTech & Science. Francisco De Jesús.

Docomo offers thinnest 3G smartphone
Japanese operator NTT Docomo announced what it described as “the world’s thinnest 3G smartphone,” the NEC Casio-manufactured Medias N-04C. The Android-powered device is 7.7mm thick and supports services including One-Seg digital terrestrial broadcasts. The operator is also to offer the Sony Ericsson Xperia arc smartphone, and LG Electronics’ Optimus Pad tablet device.  

The specs of the device have been confirmed, and the MEDIAS N-04C will pack a 4″ LCD touchscreen (854 x 480) with Gorilla Glass (I guess a phone that thin needs some sort of protection), Android 2.2 (with an update coming this summer), a 5.1 megapixel CMOS camera, 1Seg digital TV tuner e-wallet function (NFC), 3G/GSM roaming, a microSDHC card slot, infrared communication and the standard Bluetooth, GPS and WiFi. The MEDIAS is still 7.7mm thick and will weigh only 105g. No word on pricing, but the phone will hit the stores in two colors (black or white) on March 15.

LTE: Asia: DoCoMo, China Mobile, KT Corp. announce collaboration

WorldWideTech & Science. Francisco De Jesús.

Japanese telecom giant NTT DoCoMo Inc. said it has established a partnership with China’s largest mobile operator China Mobile Ltd. and South Korean telecom operator KT Corp. The three companies combined serve more than 600 million mobile customers.

DoCoMo said the “broad-based business tie-up” is designed to increase cooperation between the companies in order to further their respective operations in the Northeast Asian market.

The partnership will include a business cooperation committee that will look into collaboration opportunities, including “the further globalization of corporate activities and the sharply rising popularity of smart phones.” Other areas the companies will look into include international roaming, enterprise services, LTE and other network technologies and common platforms.

Japan: DNP-DOCOMO-CHI Joint Venture “2Dfacto” to Launch Initial E-book Store Service

WorldWideTech & Science. Francisco De Jesús.

Press Release:

TOKYO, JAPAN, January 11, 2011 --- 2Dfacto, Inc., under a plan to become a new type of integrated digital/physical hybrid bookstore, announced today that it will open its first online bookstore on January 12 to sell electronic books to users of smartphones and e-book readers marketed by NTT DOCOMO, INC.

2Dfacto is a joint-venture company established by Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. (DNP), DOCOMO and CHI Group Co., Ltd. (CHI) on December 21, 2010. The new e-bookstore, also called 2Dfacto, will be based on “honto,” DNP’s existing online e-book retail service. The new e-bookstore initially will offer about 20,000 titles of literature and Japanese manga comic books with plans to rapidly increase the catalog to some 100,000 titles by spring. New books, magazines, newspapers and rich-media e-books embedded with music and video content are expected to be added gradually.

At launch, customers will be able to purchase and enjoy e-books using seven of the latest smartphones and an e-book reader offered by DOCOMO: Xperia™, GALAXY S, REGZA Phone, LYNX 3D, Optimus chat, GALAXY Tab and SH-07C e-book reader (launching on January 21). 2Dfacto will be accessible from other smartphones and e-book readers to be announced by DOCOMO.

2Dfacto, to further expand the scope of the “honto” service within 2011, is continuing to discuss linkage of its system with “bk1,” the DNP group’s existing online bookstore offering some one million titles of printed books, as well as the group’s physical bookstore chains Maruzen, JUNKUDO and Bunkyodo. The result would be a truly digital/physical hybrid network comprising an online store for e-books, an online store for printed books and physical stores for printed books.

Under the envisaged plan, the website for this hybrid bookstore network would offer conveniences such as recommendations based on previous purchases from all three types of bookstores, network-wide loyalty points and an e-bookshelf to view network-wide purchases. Other special functions planned to be launched this year will enable users to read the same e-book on multiple devices and share bookmarks and marked information among multiple devices.

About Dai Nippon Printing

Dai Nippon Printing (DNP) is one of the world’s largest comprehensive printing companies, with annual sales of 1.583 trillion yen and 40,000 employees (as of March 2010). DNP’s wide range of businesses include publication printing, commercial printing, smart cards, business forms, network business and electronic components. While DNP maintains a 50% market share in Japan’s domestic magazine printing, the company continues to leverage its information processing techniques and printing technologies to promote e-publishing solutions. For more information about DNP, please visit www.dnp.co.jp/eng/.

About NTT DOCOMO

NTT DOCOMO is the world’s leading mobile operator and provider of advanced mobile services. The company serves over 57 million customers in Japan, including 48 million using i-mode™, the world’s most popular mobile e-mail/Internet platform, and 55 million using FOMA™, the world’s original 3G mobile service based on W-CDMA. As a leader in the development of cutting-edge mobile technologies, DOCOMO is continually expanding the role of mobile phones as versatile and highly personalized “lifestyle tools” for everyday life, including with a wide range of innovative services for mobile payments, GPS, mobile TV, multimedia content and much more. NTT DOCOMO is listed on the Tokyo (9437), London (NDCM) and New York (DCM) stock exchanges. For more information, visit www.nttdocomo.com.

FOMA and i-mode are trademarks or registered trademarks of NTT DOCOMO, INC. in Japan and/or other countries.
FOMA service is only available in Japan.
Xperia is a trademark or registered trademark of Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB.
REGZA Phone is a trademark of TOSHIBA CORPORATION.